


He no longer sees Beauty

by kieren_Freaking_Walker



Category: In the Flesh (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Gen, M/M, We all know where this will lead, the sads are coming, we've seen the show
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-01
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-10 01:06:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3271079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kieren_Freaking_Walker/pseuds/kieren_Freaking_Walker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>--Kieren doesn't know something and Jem doesn't want to hurt him with the coming news. She knows it might destroy him.</p><p>“Mum bumped into Janet Macy at the Save 'n' shop...” She says in a quiet voice, looking down at her hands as she picks at her fingers. She's wearing one of Kieren's old sweaters, one that swallows up her hands if she doesn't roll up the sleeves.--</p>
            </blockquote>





	He no longer sees Beauty

Kieren Walker was always a little different. He had never been a fan of sports, nor was he really willing to participate in them. All the activities that the boys around him always took part of happily, none of them really interested Kieren. It was the arts that interested him.

  
Art was everywhere. In the music that he listened to -a little too loudly- while he sat in his room and stared at the ceiling. It was in the beautiful and colourful world around him, even if that world was shaded harshly by the cruel people within it—people like Bill Macy.  
  


Bill Macy had sent Rick away, Rick, who had encouraged Kieren to create his own art from the get-go, who had always said “You're gonna go far, and I'll be right there with you.”  
He wasn't right there with him. He was in Afghanistan, being shot at and shooting back in return. Kieren had never been a fan of violence, and knowing Rick was probably out there with a gun gripped firmly in two hands made his stomach churn.

  
It was Kieren's fault he was there in the first place, wasn't it? It had all started with that Mix CD Kieren had made when he was fourteen.  
Bill Macy and found it and had not been happy. He'd stormed over to the Walker household and given Kieren's mum and dad more than an ear full, before demanding to speak to Kieren. When he was refused, He told them that Kieren was not welcome at his house, nor near Rick.  
But the boys couldn't stay apart. They found a safe place where no one could find them, a small cave that they made homely with old pillows that had gone mysteriously missing from Sue Walkers living room, and candles that had been sneaked out of houses and stores.

  
There the boys would spend their nights, reading comic books and magazines by candle light, Kieren would sometimes draw, while Rick went on about how well he was doing in his sports classes.  
As the years went on they continued their visits to the cave, though what they did while they were there most certainly changed. Kieren, who started adorning a very different style of clothes, and the occasional smudge of eyeliner under his eyes, would smoke cigarettes with Rick as they told each other ridiculous horror stories, and kicked each other playfully when one of them said something a little too stupid. Cigarettes were eventually accompanied with cheap and awful tasting cider that neither of them really liked, but drank anyway, because they could—because it was there.  
  
As time went on, their talks became more serious, sometimes veering into dangerous territory. Kieren told Rick that he felt more strongly for him than he should, and Rick said nothing for a very long time, mulling over the statement.  
By the end of the night, Rick had agreed that he felt something too, though he insisted it probably wasn't as strongly as Kieren.

 

They never kissed. They never touched each other in ways that meant more than friends. Rick was too scared, and Kieren didn't want to fuel that fear. If they didn't do anything, Rick had nothing to hide, or so he thought.  
Rick promised that once they got out of school, once they got far away from Roarton, they could try going down that road, and see if it lead anywhere, but people should never make promises they can't keep.  
That night ended with “See you tomorrow.” But Kieren never did.  
  
Kieren never found out how—He never got a chance to ask Rick how Bill Macy found out about their trips to the cave, and what that would mean, because Rick was gone before Kieren even got to say goodbye. Sent off to Basic Training.

 

Two years since then, and Kieren is sitting in his bedroom, his music loud and his eyes closed. There's knocking at his door, but he doesn't hear it.  
He only opens his eyes when his music suddenly shuts off. Jem is standing by the side of his bed, her expression composed, but there's something about her eyes that has Kieren sitting up and frowning “What? What's going on, Jem?”  
  


Jemima Walker, a small sweet girl who has always had a tough side, a girl who has been nagging her mother for months to allow her to dye her hair something other than it's 'boring brown', doesn't look so tough right now. She looks like her mask of composure might break at any moment.  
Kieren doesn't know something and Jem doesn't want to hurt him with the coming news. She knows it might destroy him.  
  
“Mum bumped into Janet Macy at the Save 'n' shop...” She says in a quiet voice, looking down at her hands as she picks at her fingers. She's wearing one of Kieren's old sweaters, one that swallows up her hands if she doesn't roll up the sleeves.  
  
“Oh? How is she?” Kieren asks, frowning even more now as he sits up and swings his legs over the side of the bed “What's wrong?”  
When Jem doesn't look up to meet his eyes, his stomach starts to churn. His mind going over all the possibilities.

 

“Mum 'n' dad want to talk to you downstairs...they sent me up here to get you.” Jem says simply, before turning and hurrying from the room, and downstairs ahead of her brother. She needs to be there when he hears. She needs to be able to hug him and calm him down.

 

Kieren stands up, pulling on his shoes before heading downstairs slowly. He takes his time going down the stairs. _What could of happened?_ He thinks to himself _Maybe Rick is back home, and Mum and Dad want to tell me to stay away from him?_ _Maybe he got hurt and discharged from the Army because of it?_  
All the different possibilities swam around in his head, but none of them were the truth. Kieren could not think like that. Not about Rick.  
The world was too beautiful for him to think something so awful had happened to his best mate. All those promises that they had made, Kieren wants them to come true. He can't imagine a world where they couldn't.  
But that world is coming closer by the second.  
He has no idea his beautiful world is about to be destroyed.

 

**Author's Note:**

> So there's more to come. This isn't finished, and I have a feeling it's going to bed very VERY sad, so you've been warned. It's written a little differently to my normal stuff, I'm just trying something different.  
> You're welcome to leave feedback, it is much appreciated <3  
> I'm also tumblr user sarcastic-kieren-walker. I roleplay on that blog a bit


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